The present invention relates to solid-state transducers, such as receivers.
The development of a successful solid-state transducer, such as a receiver, could be a major milestone regarding reduction of product complexity and fabrication cost. Acoustic solid-state actuators have until now received little attention by the research community, and designs presented so far are either based on piezoelectric or magnetic principles, similar to the actuators in the current receivers. The problem for the piezoelectric actuators is the small deflection ( less than 1 xcexcm) which can be produced. For a receiver, this will require some significant enhancement and translation to generate a deflection large enough, which normally leads to big reduction of the available force. The magnetic actuators suffer the same drawbacks as existing receivers, regarding power consumption and critical dependence on magnetic properties. In fact, it has proved very difficult so far to produce good magnetic materials in micromachined structures.
It is an object of the invention to provide a solid state transducer. In accordance with the invention, the transducer comprises a micromachined electrostatic actuator formed of silicon, a support brace disposed about the actuator, a membrane coupled to the support brace and means for operatively coupling the actuator to said membrane.
It is contemplated that the transducer may be either a receiver or a microphone.